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St. Albans Brentwood

Welcome to our church where you feel that you belong. For you are valued by the Lord and He has a purpose for you. He's given you special gifts and He longs for you to use it for His glory. We as a church would love to see you grow within your gifts. For then, we all can receive a blessing with what God has blessed you.

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.

Saint Augustine
Your Sanctuary
Your Sanctuary

Your New Family
Your New Family

Your Spiritual Intimacy
Your Spiritual Intimacy


How Is Your Relationship With God?

The Bible says ‘verily, verily, I say unto you, Until heaven and earth pass away, and the heavens are removed, and the elements be destroyed, and the earth and that which is in the earth be destroyed – Mark 13:33

Until I was a Christian, I always had a relationship with God. I was always very close to Him. I would never be separated from Him. And I am sure that it was a close relationship because He called me His friend. I always had an active hope in Him. Once the Holy Spirit entered my heart, I instantly got a new sense of confidence in Him. I didn’t need to depend on what other people said about me anymore. I knew that God loved me unconditionally.

Once we become born again, God judges us by the things which we have personally manifested, not what we have outwardly displayed. To be truly fruitful, we must settle our conflicts within ourselves first. We must open a door for God to come into our hearts. The first step is to become convinced that the God we believe in is real and that He truly desires to speak to us. By doing this we will be speaking directly to Him and taking small steps in the right direction, although we may not see the whole road at the time.

Reflecting on the First Principles of Faith unfolds this idea of what it means to have confidence in the presence of God, even when you can’t see Him. In other words, you must believe that He is there when you aren’t looking for Him, just as you must also believe that it is possible to experience His presence when you are striving to maintain a relationship with Him.

The principle of believing is an absolutely critical path in navigating the mysteries of life and belief. The Bible declares that faith works by love. By applying the power of love to our choices, we prove that His perspective is always right. Now, how good is your belief? This next principle takes a look at how well you are expressing your faith.

4 Two: I am convinced of his existence

Many people are able to claim this aspect of God. Others are not so fortunate. Why is that? For what reason does the world choose to believe in a God they can’t see? The reasoning for why some people don’t see God is that they may be blind to the truth. Perhaps they are too busy worshiping and serving God to notice Him wherever He is. Or, maybe they don’t have an open, clear vision of the relationship they hope toouthinkGod to.

We don’t have to have a problem seeing God. Our problems come when we don’t know Him. In addition, even if our eyes are perfectly clear, we can encounter the mystery of his presence (and the working of his love) only if our minds are open and receptive. What does God want us to know about him? Isn’t it enough to know that He is angry, vengeful, and perfect and that His will is a will that can be attained, in a single moment, if we will obey Him?

In James 1:27 we read, “But if anyone does not have his faith working, he will be condemned.” It is much easier to affirm our faith in God than it is to live it out.

God is more willing to reveal himself to those who are willing to humble themselves. For this reason, there are many stories of people whose lives were modeled after God’s own. One incident attributed to this principle is the story of a mother and her son. The woman had a deep faith that her son would be a great success in life. She held him in the palm of her hand and never gave up on him.

Her son had numerous difficulties in his life. Every time one of them occurred, she was devastated. Seeing her anguish, the Lord appeared to her and said, “Do not despair. I will help you.” The next time the boy had a problem, he died from stoning. Clearly, she had suffered a lot over the years and her fragile faith had virtually been replaced by certainty.

Let’s look at another story:

Zacchaeus had been blind since birth. For twelve years he had carried a gloomy look. That look should have been rewarded with a gift, but for all he had gained by being given that look, he had lost everything. He rubbed himself, his friends, his dignity… He had lost everything. He had even lost his hope. Still, he was a valuable member of the body of Christ and he greatly distressed his distress with a positive attitude that has ever since been called by the author of Hebrews to “agree with reproof”.

The Message In The New Testament

Read the New Testament. If you want to go to heaven and the Lord you need to be Born of God.

True restoration begins with the realization that you are born for a purpose and a price has been paid for you to accomplish that purpose. I have paid a price for my purpose, it is hard but just as true as the very first day I walked on the earth and saw the great city of Babylon and its influence upon my life. I remember when I arrived I stood and looked and sensed what it felt like to be in such a great place. Truth is, it feels like heaven to me. So do you.

Therein lies the power. Therein lies the price that is paid when you forget who you think you are and who God says you are and enable you to go forward without the heavy burdens of care that accompany separation. It is there in Babylon that I learned that who I really am in Christ is an invisible dwelling set into the earth, here my Father’s house is present.

I now understand that I am this body and in my dwelling, there is my purpose, and with purpose, I live my life. I add value to my life and life more so in my God-ordained gifts, and the bonus is that my gifts are making a difference because I have a purpose, I have meaning, and the bonus is that I am setting my life into order. Honestly, it is just like a pebble being tossed into the fountain, all the water disappeared but I am sure that pebble was led there by something bigger than me, who was I? I didn’t even know until I got here. So the revelations for me are bringing back the memories of Heaven and moving forward with a better understanding of myself and my life.

We sense the heavy burden within us all once again when, after time, we start to lose who we once thought we were and where we once came from, and worse yet, when we lose our purpose the way that we think it should be. The way that God has gifted every human being with gifts, talents, abilities, and skills to be successful in whatever they choose. This was and is a great mystery to figure out your gifts.

The deception started with our first parents and their gifts. First, you were the physical self, then you had a soul, which is your mind, then you had a natural ability for your talent, then you had a purpose with your gift. This was and is just one deception that was foisted upon our faith. The devil played with these truths, suborned them for his own benefit, and brought disharmony and all kinds of evil into the world through the ideas of male supremacy, slavery, greed, etc. Into God’s picture of perfection and he was revealed as the inventor of all evil. At that time the first lie was born. Man in his perfection had forgotten that he was perfection yet.

So what do you need to do? Get into right standing with God by putting each of these Deuteds into action. For we are covenant right now in Christ Jesus. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the Gentiles have my grace and peace. To those who are outside my grace and peace the belt of truth is let me point out to them. The outside may see many examples of sin but the inner man knows none of that because you are the covenant man and you have sealed vow and unpresentable so that your gifts are effective in the earth only by the grace of God.

Be transferred in the likeness of your person, that your image may become gracious as water, and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may abound in you. Get into righteousness than that you and all others may be glorified in the same way with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If you want to argue about the New Testament authorship of Christ you can find someone knowledgeable in the Letter of 1 Corinthians to 12:26-27. Paul was an apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is God’s apostle to the twelve apostles. He said that he was assigned to the church to prepare the way for the latter to be given the authority to preach. He said that the church (Christians) should come together in the name of everyone to pray for them. And in the next verse, it says that when you pray you are to pray in the spirit. You can never pray in the spirit out of envy or vain selfishness.

How to Join a Church For Spiritual Growth

When you want to know how to grow spiritually in a group of people, you may be wondering how to decide where to join a church. It is important that you look for a church that you can connect with on a spiritual level so that you will be able to grow. The spiritual nature of a church helps a person become closer to God. If you are ready to discover how to grow spiritually, you may want to consider where you should look for a church. Some congregations are more spiritually inclined than others.

When you are ready to join a church, the first place that you should check out is your local Sunday school program. Many people do not realize how much they benefit from attending church on a regular basis. You may find that attending church on a regular basis gives you extra support and guidance.

Another place that you should look for spiritual growth is on the internet. There are many websites that are dedicated to church history and religious information. On these websites you will find information about how to grow spiritually and the ministries that are offered in various denominations. This type of information will be invaluable to you as you research how to grow spiritually. You will also find resources that help you learn about the Bible and the spiritual life. You can also search for Christian based resources for this purpose.

If you have questions about how to grow spiritually, you should join a church where you will feel comfortable. There is no sense in searching for answers when you are uncomfortable. You should be comfortable in the environment that you are joining. This will make it easier for you to receive the answers that you need.

You will find that there are a variety of churches that are able to assist you with how to grow spiritually. When you join a church for spiritual growth, you will want to attend several of these churches in order to get the full experience. This will allow you to see how members of the church interact with each other. It is important to get this experience because you will be a part of the growth and change that are happening in the church.

It is important to know what the church is before you decide to join it. You may not always know what type of church that you want to belong to. If you cannot find the answers to your questions on the church website, then you should attend a few meetings to get the feel of the church.

If you want to know how to grow spiritually, then you will want to see how the members of the church interact with each other. The first meeting that you attend should be a friendly one. It is important to establish good relationships with everyone in the church. If you do not have a good relationship with the people who lead the church, you will not feel comfortable and likely not grow spiritually. When you are able to develop bonds with everyone in the church, you will find that you will be drawn to them and want to be near them.

Another way to know how to grow spiritually is to watch the leadership of the church. If the pastor or church leader encourages members to grow spiritually, then you should join. When you are able to connect with the leaders of the church, you can gain a lot of information on how to grow. When you are a member of the church, the members will be more willing to help you along with your spiritual growth.

What is the Gospel?

The question, What is the Gospel? has been debated by many Christians since the days of the earliest church. The term, “Gospel,” itself, has various definitions depending on the region, culture, and the individual believer. In general, however, the gospel is interpreted as a set of written, verbal teachings that are aimed at leading believers to salvation.

According to the classic, first-century letter, letters of Peter and James, a certain Jesus chose three apostles, who were to be his apostleship recipients: Simon, James, and Judas. These three men were to share Jesus’ mission of preaching the gospel to the people in Israel. The letter continues to make reference to other specific teachers who would come after them, to complete the twelve apostles. The term, “Gospel,” therefore, referred not only to the teaching of Jesus to the early church but also to the broader teaching that would endure throughout the centuries. Gospel in its modern sense today refers to a set of ideas, values, and teachings that, together, attempt to convey the good news-the gospel. This good news, the gospel, is designed to inform, inspire and strengthen people, particularly those who have suffered or are fallen under the burdens of sin.

For an accurate understanding of what the gospel is, one must take into consideration the threefold distinction made between the traditional, non-essential nature of the gospel. According to the traditional interpretation, the gospel is nothing more than a personal message or teaching was given by Jesus to his disciples. Gospel, then, is simply the word or words of God given to man, which he then applies to his life. It thus includes such works as prayer, songs, works of mercy, and the like.

Another non-essential aspect of what is the gospel is the idea that salvation is through grace. Salvation is viewed by traditional religious believers as being completely free of any actions of free will. Everything is considered to have been being willed or determined by God. This means that salvation is a gift from God and not something that man can earn by his own efforts. While it is true that some people are born with the gift of free will, that does not mean that all efforts are fruitless.

In addition to the above, traditional gospel believers often hold views that are strongly opposed to liberal ideas of freedom. They tend to reject the notion that man has any responsibility towards his fellow man and do not accept the idea that a person can be responsible for his own salvation. Those that subscribe to this school of thought hold that God has predetermined the timing of salvation and has no further concern for man’s conduct until that time has passed. This, of course, goes against liberal and moderate views on salvation, which hold that man plays a pivotal role in determining his own destiny. Thus, those that adhere to the more traditional gospel believe that a person must be saved before he can enter heaven.

One of the main points of contention between the conservative wing of the Christian community and the more liberal wing is the idea of election. Many traditional Christians believe that salvation is determined by the free will of man. They believe that there is an internal choice of man to salvation, rather than a decision based upon external circumstances. The liberal viewpoint on the matter is that salvation is a freely determined act, and that man makes his own decisions about his own life. Because Romans 12 does not mention election specifically in its entirety, some assume that election refers to God choosing people to salvation.

Some have also expressed the opinion that salvation is a good news story. The good news, they believe, is that salvation has happened to mankind. They do not see it as a story of grace, but as the fact of creation, wherein God has blessed mankind through His almighty Son. It is not a good news story because it contains no promises of specific rewards of salvation.

Some of the most disputed issues in regards to what is the gospel include the nature of the early church, the existence of works done in the heavenly bodies, the existence of secret worship rituals, the validity of signatures on documents, and the nature of genuine tongues. All these points of contention have been debated over for centuries. Most Christian apologists have their own opinions on all of these matters. Some will argue that secret worship rituals and signatures are legitimate forms of worship, while others will discount it completely. However, the important point of what is the gospel remains unchanged – salvation is achieved through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Growing A Thicker Threshold Faith

Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. ~Psalm 86:11 (NRSV).

Faith, like courage, is not the absence of fear, but the conforming of fear to a usable output. But faith, like courage, has different strengths, and perhaps this way it can be likened to something we can thicken, resembling, perhaps, what it might be like in achieving faith like the proverbial hide on a rhinoceros.

 

The Nature of Fear

If we’re to grow our faith in any way we have to draw up close to fear, learn about it – how it manifests over us personally, and develop fear-shortening strategies.

In other words, our faith is expanded when we learn how to control and regulate our fear – even using fear as a catapult out of our temptations at despair. Walking in the LORD’s truth is as much a matter as denying our fear, for faith, as anything. It’s about the single-minded heart with no spiritual duplicity in sight… well, that’s the theory.

A useful thing to know about fear is it sits at the opposite end on a continuum to that of faith. This ‘faith-fear continuum’ highlights and pinpoints our overall spiritual circumstance in life.

Fear typically stands off at a distance, yet with the least warning, it encroaches and rains on our parade of faith. The world, it seems, changes suddenly as we’re rocked by fear.

The Anatomy of the ‘Thicker’ Faith

Faith, like forgiveness and healing and patience in the godly realm, is inexplicable. How can we really describe the acquisition of increased levels of any of these things, barring an attribution that we’re learning? Certainly, we’re trusting.

This is important to acknowledge, for God’s role in the blessing of increasing our faith is by virtue of our obedience, but importantly God’s not obligated to discharge blessing. But as life would have it, God’s nature is consistent in these ways, to the smallest letter.

A thicker threshold of faith is the secret to our eventual success.

It ameliorates fear, but not by feeling less fearful. This is important to understand. We can be gentle of spirit and still highly resilient in faith. Both states can co-exist. Gentility is not to be confused for timidity. And indeed, God wants us still very sensitive to our own needs so we can fulfill them how we need them fulfilled, for ‘God helps those that help themselves,’ as the old adage goes.

A thicker threshold of faith is about learning how to enlarge the safety envelope within our faith so we’re able to hold the dramatic tensions of fear at bay.

This is not solving the fear; it’s learning to accept it, and able to move on in spite of it. Not being in fear of the fearful stimuli, ours and others’ reactions, and our feelings is the key.

Thicker threshold faith gives us this capacity to deal with, and even exploit, our fears. So, here we can know that nothing’s denied, and we’re just merely truthful about how we feel. In this way, we quell the fear’s power. Before God and mankind, we’re just so much more us, and certainly, we have less to hide.

 


 

George Muller – A Story of Faith

Tools for Enhancing Fervent Prayer in Recent Times

Do you need speedy answers to your prayers? Or do you wonder what you need in order to pray more fervently? Prayer is a channel of communication with God and fervent prayer is a hotline to heaven. It gives you an unobstructed link to God and delivers speedy answers to your prayers. This article lists the tools for enhancing fervent prayer.

Whatever your purpose for desiring to pray more fervently, you need some tools or enhancers to accomplish that purpose. And no matter your level of fervency already in prayer, you can improve and enjoy more of God’s blessings. So here are the tools for enhancing fervent prayer

 

Fervent Prayer Enhancers

  1. Time

Though it is not how long you pray but how well you pray that matters, you still need adequate and quality time to pray fervently. When you have enough time, you will be able to sufficiently plead your case before God, (Isaiah 43:26). Elijah was not in a hurry when he was praying fervently for rain to fall. He prayed till there was a sign in heaven, 1 Kings 18:42-44). You also need to pray till you have peace within you.

  1. Quiet place

It is difficult to concentrate in a noisy environment. You need quietness all around you and also within you for you to pray effectively and receive an answer from God. For instance, the night before His crucifixion, Jesus was up on Mount Olives alone in fervent prayer before God and an angel came and strengthened Him for the task ahead, (Luke 22:41-44). An enhancer like a quiet place makes all the difference.

  1. Knowledge of the word of God

God listens for His words when we pray and He is committed ONLY to His words, (1 John 5:14-15). He watches over His Words to perform it. Therefore, you need to know what God’s word says about your prayer point and say them back to Him. Search the scriptures for God’s words concerning that issue, meditate on them and then pray them. This is one tool you must engage for speedy results

  1. Faith

“But without faith, it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”, (Hebrews 11:6, KJV). It takes enhancers like faith to pray fervent prayer. You need to believe that God will answer your prayer. Faith is like a magnet that draws God’s attention to your prayers.

  1. Righteousness

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil”, (I Peter 3:12, KJV). It is the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man, that avails much. Have a right stand with God, pray fervently and God will answer your prayers.

Many people are desperate for answers from God for various reasons and fervent prayer is the solution. Make use of the above-listed tools or enhancers today and you will enhance your prayers. Surely you will receive answers from God and enjoy unending blessings of God.

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